


denouement

by kaitothegreat



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Drama, F/M, Symbolisms, little gem research
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25893745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaitothegreat/pseuds/kaitothegreat
Summary: Pandora aside, Kaito really didn't need any more gems and their stupid myths to meddle in his life, but just like the saying goes: "Life doesn't always go to plan".Reference to Movie 23.
Relationships: Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid & Nakamori Aoko, Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid/Nakamori Aoko
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34





	denouement

Nine years ago Kuroba Kaito was just a boy, and being the very boy he was, he wouldn't have given a single thought about the value of what each jewel could be worth, or what emotional meanings these shiny yet heavy things could represent. But at that point of time, too, Kaito didn't care about soccer or board games or the new and fancy game gadgets either. All he knew then, as he skipped past the crowds in front of the Clock Tower, was that he had to do something, _anything,_ to help turn the sad girl's lips upright again.

Once Kaito stood next to her, he snapped a rose in between his fingers—one he'd taken (or sort of stolen) from his dad's garden—and introduced himself.

The girl gaped at him with wide blue eyes before taking the magic rose from his hand and telling him her name was _Nakamori Aoko_. Then she smiled; and the smile was sprinkled with a dash of her magic as it uncontrollably made him smile too.

Nine years later and in the present, Kuroba Kaito was sitting in front of his desk in his room and flipping through his freshly-updated A4 scrapbook, starting with the first report of Kaitou Kid's appearance and all the gems he'd stolen ever since. Kaito could have spent his time on better things than doing these pointless records, but he thought it was necessary. One was to find possible clues that could give Kaito a better chance to bring Snake and his organisation down, and the other, funnily, was to avoid the embarrassment of stealing a jewel that his dad had stolen before. And that was also when Kaito started, or _had_ to start caring about the value and emotional meanings of these shiny yet heavy things, by any chance if it might help Kaito understand Pandora a tiny little bit, and making the hunt to destroy it forever easier.

That was what Kaito had been doing the entire Saturday afternoon after finishing his school work. Reading. Turning to the next page. Reading. Sometimes thinking. And thinking… until he reached _this_ page. He probably had too many newspaper cut-outs to notice it before, but looking at this with a fresh mind, he couldn't believe he almost missed the date; the day he first met Aoko happened to be the same night when his dad held a heist, and Kaito realized that was probably why Inspector Nakamori was late to meet and fetch Aoko from the Clock Tower to her new home back then.

Kaito stared at the faded newspaper cutting. The words and pictures blurred and jarring, but ok enough for him to read and think.

 _The Autumn's Jewel_ — Asia's biggest Yellow Diamond.

Yellow Diamond. Symbolised the beginning of a life happy and in love.

Kaito flipped to the next page, forcing the memories of the Clock Tower deep to the back of his head. There was a heist coming up and he didn't have time.

Not enough time.

He'd leave the remaining dreams for his sleep tonight.  
  


.o.

"KuroBakaito!"

Kaito winced, a finger digging painfully into his ear before turning, just in time to dodge Aoko's swing of her bag; he hastily ducked to the side of the pathway and almost tripped over his own feet, but his trained reflex got him to regain his balance quickly, saving him from rolling down the slope and into the riverbank below.

"Ahouko! Are you trying to murder me?" Kaito stepped safely back onto the pavement and scowled.

Aoko stuck out a tongue and hugged her schoolbag against her chest. "You're walking really slow today, huh." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Shouldn't you reach home by now?"

Kaito waited until she reached his side, and they began walking down the path back home; the sun was still high in the sky, barely looking like it'd moved its position even after Kaito had made a detour from school to buy some envelope and stamps from different places in town. The jewel Kid stole last night was safely in his bag, and he was planning to drop it off Inspector Nakamori's house in the guise that it had been through mail. Now… his plan might have to change, but he didn't mind it so much anyway.

"I went to buy some stuff," Kaito said. And thankfully, Aoko only nodded and didn't ask any questions that would need him to change his words into a lie.

"Then what about you?" Kaito asked, assuming the ball was still in his court and waiting for his throw to continue the conversation. "Don't you have club activities? Why did it end so early?" Kaito looked up at the sky again, the bright light shining and turning the riverbank beside them into sheets of glimmer. He recalled the river was often tinted in orange whenever they walked home together—

Now that Kaito realized, it had actually _been_ a while since they even walked home together; Aoko would have her club activities and friends to hang out with and Kaito would be busy with the preparation of his heist, either going to Jii's bar straight after school or to the nearest mall, to change out in a disguise and start his surveillance routines near whatever location he was going to steal from…

"We ended early today since it's only a short meeting." Aoko beamed. "But the fun will resume next week."

"Fun," Kaito echoed. "What does the Math club exactly do for fun?"

Aoko didn't miss his sarcasm as she wrinkled her nose at him. "Maybe you'd know if you joined," she huffed. "Or maybe you'd know _something_ if you bothered to join _any_ clubs this year."

Kaito feigned a yawn. "I'm too tired for that."

"Tired," Aoko muttered, her voice dripping with the same sarcasm he used earlier. She eyed him side-ways with a pout. "You're lucky the school doesn't have any rule that makes it compulsory for students to join at least a club."

"If I really have to, I'll join the Math club."

A hitch in Aoko's step, and she stared at him with wide eyes (almost like the day when he first appeared in front of her at the Clock Tower). "Really?"

"Yeah." Kaito grinned. "I'm sure in two weeks' time I'll manage to get myself kicked out of the club by you or your Club President. And by the end of one term I'll end up becoming the exception of the school's rule again." _Again_ , because it happened before—the mopping chase Aoko and Kaito had nearly every morning got them banned from cleaning duties for a couple of months.

"Trust you to say the stupidest things," Aoko scoffed, before tapping a finger to her chin. "But to be honest I can actually see all that happening… Guess what? I'm already itching to kick your butt right now."

Kaito couldn't remember how many times he dodged Aoko's weak attacks, and he couldn't remember the rest of the things they talked about all the way home; it was mostly unmeaningful and silly, but that was what most of their daily conversations entailed.

It was fine, like this. Kaito didn't mind too.

So feet on autopilot, they walked and talked past the riverside, out of their local park and into their neighbourhood, twisting round different yet familiar corners until they reached Aoko's gates. Her home was closer than his.

"Okay, bye Ahouko." Kaito waved and swung his school bag from one hand to another. He was about to step away when Aoko exclaimed.

"Wait!"

Kaito did.

"I know it's sudden, but do you wanna have dinner over at my place tonight?" Aoko scratched the side of her cheek and glanced at her house. "I've bought a lot of groceries for this week."

Kaito hummed and pretended to think hard about it. "I need to know what you're cooking first."

Aoko narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"My answer depends on your answer to my question."

A twitch came from Aoko's brows, but rather than a complaint, she sighed in the end. "I don't know. I have to check the fridge and see what needs to be cooked as soon as possible."

Her dampened mood and slightly disheartened voice made it hard for Kaito to continue his tease or reject her at all, not that he planned to, anyway. His next heist wouldn't be coming in another week…

Kaito nodded. "Okay."

Aoko's eyes brightened. "Really?" Then her smile faltered almost immediately, before she crossed her arms tentatively in suspicion. "...Or are you gonna say something stupid _again_?"

"Hey. Not _everything_ I said is stupid, okay."

Aoko snorted. "You clearly did so just now."

Kaito placed a hand over his chest. "Right now I'm proving _you_ wrong. I'm really agreeing to eat over at your place later."

"Not for some tease or prank?"

"None of those."

"Fine." A smile spread across Aoko's cheeks, and she pulled out her keys and skipped closer to her gates. "I'll text you when it's near to done."

"It's okay. I'll come over after dropping my stuff at home."

"Oh? So you're not _tired_ now?"

"Don't make me change my mind."

Her laugh echoed so loud that it still rang in his ears even though she'd stopped. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah yeah."

Aoko's brown hair danced over the back of her black uniform as she walked past her front yard, and Kaito watched, all the way until she finally closed the door behind her. Knowing no eyes were on him anymore, Kaito fished out a transparent zip-lock bag from his schoolbag; lying inside was a big, brown envelope he had sourced and prepared earlier.

To: Inspector Nakamori  
From: Kaitou Kid

Gloving his hands, Kaito took out the thick mail and slotted it nicely through the hole of the _Nakamori_ letterbox beside the gates. And after hearing the soft thud coming from inside the metal box, Kaito headed home to put down the rest of his things like what he told Aoko he would.

Last night's heist was and wasn't a success at the same time. Kaitou Kid managed to pull off all the tricks perfectly, but the gem he'd stolen—and just returned—wasn't Pandora. It was a rare Amethyst called _Purple Heart_ , literally, as it was carved like it was named.

Amethyst, known as a soothing stone that prevents drunkenness and falling in love foolishly.

Maybe the legend might work, or maybe it wouldn't, Kaito wouldn't know. Because with or without the gem, it was already too late; Kaito had fallen foolishly anyway.

.o.

Tonight was the most ironic night Kaito experienced in his life.

Standing on the rooftop ledge with no moon in sight, Kaito—Kaitou Kid—was holding onto _Moon's Shine_ , a dark and almost opaque Onyx crystal that was passed as a heirloom from some Prince in the Middle East. That wasn't the end of the irony; it wasn't even the main point of the irony, actually.

Onyx symbolized great discipline and willpower.

And Kaito had absolutely none of that right now.

"Kaitou Kid."

Kaito carefully shifted his feet on the ledge, watching Aoko walking from the other side of the vast roof, her blue eyes narrowed and lips as thin as a line. The wind was getting stronger, and Kaito was half considering if he should step down and secure his footing better on the roof floor, but it would mean an invitation to a longer conversation with the Inspector's daughter. Yes, she wasn't _Aoko_ anymore. To Kaitou Kid she was only _Nakamori-san_ , and he needed to remind himself of that.

He shouldn't cross the line.

"What a surprise to see you tonight, Nakamori-san," Kaito said, though knowing better. He knew Aoko had been pestering her dad to allow her once-in-a-blue-moon participation, but he didn't expect her to actually confront him alone… Maybe he _should_ have, because there was just so much Aoko's fragile heart could endure before her feelings swallow her whole; just like how she visited the supposedly haunted school to satisfy her curiosity, she needed to vent her anger at the source of her frustration too.

But for Kaito… he didn't have the privilege like Aoko to wear his heart on his sleeve. It would be catastrophic if that happened.

Kaito clutched onto the jewel in his hand, willing whatever energy and power the gem was rumoured to have to seep through his glove and into his bones and nerves. Discipline. Willpower. Discipline. Willpower… Funny, how he never really believed in the existence of Pandora, and yet here he was, stupidly wishing this gem's myths and legends to be true.

"There's no surprise here, Kid. Just return the jewel!" Aoko spat and stepped closer to the ledge, her brown hair whipping wildly back and forth across her face and shoulders. It looked so frustrating and inconvenient, and Kaito was half-tempted to drop everything he had and walk towards her, pulling those loose strands of her hair back and tie them up—

No.

_She's not Aoko. She's only Nakamori-san._

Discipline. Willpower. Discipline. Willpower…

_I'm Kaitou Kid now._

"I'm afraid my answer might disappoint you," Kid said, and it wasn't for the suaveness of it. He hadn't gotten to check the jewel, and he doubted he could either, seeing the dark clouds covering the sky. The wind hadn't stopped, and there was a whiff of earthy scent in the air. Rain was coming. He should go.

He should have gone since the moment Aoko came up to the roof, actually.

"No worries," Aoko sneered. "Your existence already disappointed me."

Kid sent his signature, charming smile and hid the _Moon's Shine_ up his sleeve. "That seems like an honourable mention."

"It's not!"

Tipping the brim of his hat down, Kid pointed a finger upwards to the sky. "A storm is brewing and I'm afraid I can't stay any longer, Nakamori-san. I wish you a good night and goodbye."

Aoko gasped, one hand stretched out. "Wait—!"

Kid didn't.

And he jumped off the ledge, falling for a brief second before his cape turned to wings, leaving the roof and eventually the entire museum behind him as it became one with the many tall buildings around it; meaningless and insignificant now to Kaitou Kid.

But it took Kaito more strength then he needed to fly to stop himself from glancing back.

Slipping the _Moon's Shine_ out of his sleeve, Kaito held onto it all the way back home.

.o.

Kaito was blessed, in a way, to not have many nightmares as he had for normal dreams. Normal, in terms of logically-bizarre kinds, like eating lava for dinner or marrying a dinosaur. But at least they were all still harmless dreams, ones that only made him wake up and shake his head at the strangeness of it all. So no, he definitely wouldn't wake up in sweats, huffing, panting, and feeling like he was going to die—

To not have many nightmares meant there still was; and tonight happened to be it.

Kaito switched on his bedside lamp and nearly knocked over his alarm clock while he did. He sat up on his bed, his pillow upright against the wall as he laid heavily on it. Breathe in, breathe out…

Hours later, or at least what Kaito felt it was, he stretched to his side and grabbed his phone from his bedside table (apparently only five minutes had passed). He then scrolled through his contacts and found Aoko's name, her display picture he'd set was an unflattering shot of her eating a burger. He smiled at the image before letting out a shuddering breath, his thumb hovering over the option to call.

Kaito was literally asking for a beating if he really called Aoko at four in the morning, but he felt that he _had_ to. He had to hear her voice, to know that she was fine and alive, and that the nightmare he had was only an imagination and nothing else.

So no, Aoko wasn't shot. And she wasn't dead. And Kaitou Kid wasn't cradling her in his arms as Snake took his next shot to his head.

Pressing dial, Kaito brought the phone to his ear.

Almost after an eternity, the line picked up, and Kaito had to pull his phone away from his ear for a moment as Aoko screamed on the other side.

_"KUROBAKAITO!"_

Kaito winced, and then he smiled, one that lingered longer on his lips than before. "Hey—"

_"You better have a damn good reason for calling! Bakaito! A reason as serious as you're dying! Or I'll make sure you are later in school!"_

Funny, how Aoko was so close to getting it right.

"Yeah, you can kill me for all you want later." Kaito tucked his legs up to his chest and set his chin on his knee. "I just, well… how do I put this..."

A sniff. _"...Kaito?"_ Aoko's voice was much awake, and she sounded more wary than fuming like before. _"Did you have a nightmare?"_

Was it obvious? Did he sound obvious? He was considering telling her it was a prank, but he wondered if it was wiser to tell Aoko the truth— No. What a foolish thought. He didn't need her to be all concerned over him at school. That wasn't what he needed. He didn't need her concern. He didn't have the rights to need _or_ even want it.

But for now, selfishly, Kaito needed _and_ wanted to hear her voice.

"Nah." Kaito chuckled. "I just wanna tell you to put more rice for the bento you're making for me. You always give so little."

_"..."_

"..."

_"...I'm going to kill you later, Bakaito."_

And the line went dead.

Kaito laughed, the final sigh coming out hearty yet exhausted. His heart was at ease, and even if he knew he couldn't sleep back anymore, at least he could close his eyes without those images revisiting his mind.

As Kaito placed the phone back on the bedside table, he caught a glimpse of the gem on his main desk, one he had stolen last night but hadn't gotten around to returning it.

 _The Night Tiger_ , one of the largest Black Opal originated from Australia; there were streaks of fiery red veins designed inside the opal, like a flowing blood stream...

Black Opal, known as a stone of prediction, and also known for its curses and bad luck in the past.

Kaito had already checked that it wasn't Pandora, but even so he had a strong urge to smash it into pieces.

.o.

Ever since that nightmare he had, Kaito had been feeling a little uneasy for every other heist that followed, though ironically it made Jii a little happier when Kaito was wary; he'd taken more precautions during the planning stage, almost as much as if that Kid-Killer was around. And if Kaito had any problems with fulfilling his checklists, he would consider postponing or cancel his heist altogether.

Kaito wondered how long this dedicated effort would last.

But despite all the measures he'd done for the four heists this month, the uneasiness didn't decrease and continued to linger, like a tiny splinter poking the bottom of his foot every time he walked, and yet he couldn't find and pluck it out.

Annoying. Frustrating—

"Ah, you must be Inspector Nakamori's daughter?"

Kaito froze.

"Yes I am."

Keeping the brim of security hat down, Kaito tentatively turned, catching a glimpse of the familiar pair of legs before he slowly moved his gaze up and up, eyes trailing past the hem of the light blue dress and to the curls of brown locks slipping past the white shoulder straps.

Kaito had already seen Aoko all dolled up when she left her home earlier, but his reaction was still the same for the first time he'd seen her. (And from bedroom window when he saw her then, he was tempted to text her, maybe mockingly, asking her who was the unlucky guy she was going on a date with, but decided against it. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer, even for the jokes or not.)

The nagging feeling in his chest intensified, and Kaito pursed his lips, trying to control his breathing. Aoko's sudden appearance wasn't the only thing that made him even more uneasy about his heist; it was the fact that she didn't tell him she was planning to go anywhere related to a Kaitou Kid event. She always used to, even when she knew his comments weren't the things she liked to hear.

He wondered why she didn't this time round.

Still, even if Aoko didn't tell him, it was still a little stupid of him to not realize that she was planning to come _here_ after seeing her dressed up, to the hotel where Kaitou Kid was holding his heist tonight.

"Okay, please give me a moment… Here you go." The hotel staff handed Aoko an embroidered name tag, which every guest clipped onto their clothes for identification purposes. The hotel staff then bowed. "Thank you and have a good evening."

Aoko thanked the staff and smiled, having the tag clipped on the right side of her dress before heading inside the ballroom, where her dad, the Task Force, and many other wealthy and bored people were, all waiting for Kid to start the heist for their own personal reasons—one was to capture the thief and the other was to witness the best show of their life.

As for Aoko, Kaito still had no idea what she was doing here. Maybe it was the mix of both. Wanting to witness the best capture of her life.

It took only a second before Kaito lost the sight of Aoko as she disappeared into the sea of crowd.

He couldn't allow that.

Showing off his security pass, Kaito cut through the long line of guests queuing for their tags and stalked into the ballroom. Bright lights, tall ceilings, and waitresses and waiters going around serving guests with plates of champagne and small snacks. There was still time to linger around before the time of the heist, and even if he got too distracted trying to find Aoko, he knew he could rely on Jii to remind him to get back in position through the wireless Bluetooth in his ear.

Thankfully, for some trendy reasons perhaps, most of the guests were wearing black or dark shades of dresses and suits, making it easy for Kaito to look out for what he wanted. He checked the buffet table, but Aoko wasn't there. He spotted Inspector Nakamori talking to his subordinates at the corner of the room, but she wasn't around him either.

Then Kaito saw her, standing right in the middle of the ballroom with a couple of other guests, all admiring the large Water Goddess statue and the prize embedded on the statue's chest.

 _Heart of the Ocean_ , an Aquamarine gem that shone clear and blue, almost reflectively like Aoko's dress—

Aquamarine, a stone of courage that aids in clear communication.

It didn't occur to him about the meaning until Kaito saw it alongside with Aoko, and he let out a sharp breath, and carefully, without ruining his disguise, pressed a thumb between his brows.

Another night of irony.

At least something had become clear tonight. Something Kaito had stupidly not realized until one month and four heists later. No, his uneasiness wasn't because he was afraid of the police, or failing his tricks, or encountering dangerous people that wanted his life as much as the gems. What Kaito had been afraid all the while was finding Aoko anywhere near his heist, near the identity he didn't want her to see him in.

And he didn't want her to be in danger.

_There was so much blood._

_In my hands._

_In that nightmare._

(The splinter wasn't on his foot but in his shoe at the very start.)

Kaito pursed his lips, contemplating what actions he should take. Chase her away as a guard? No, that would call attention to his disguise. Chase her away as Kid? That would defeat the purpose of wanting to avoid her in the first place…

Seconds ticked to minutes as Kaito still came up with no conclusion for the matter, and he ended up deciding to let Aoko be as she continued peering at the statue. It was highly unlikely for Snake to strike tonight and Aoko should be fine; he would make sure she would be regardless—

Kaito tilted his head, watching as Aoko's stare suddenly became distant and dull. He wondered what she was thinking; what could make her look so vulnerable and helpless when in actual fact she was the most powerful person in this room to him—having the utmost control over his life and heart.

But Aoko didn't know she possessed such a power, and Kaito had made sure of it. All those terrible teases of her appearances, his uncaring side, acting like he didn't do all those things that he'd done for her… They weren't intentional, just like his secrets. Secrets were only formed when one couldn't find the right time to tell the other person.

_Though if it's too late, you might end up losing the opportunity and the person._

Kaito took a tentative step forward, and ended up retracting his move the next second as he tipped his hat down. Even more than Aoko's presence, the statue suddenly looked intimidating, taunting even, as the Aquamarine shone at him like it was giving him a sign.

_Clear communication…_

Not now.

He needed more time.

(He didn't have enough courage then.)

_"Kaito-botchama?"_

Kaito straightened, glancing at Aoko's back for one last time before he turned away. He tapped onto his Bluetooth piece to reply. "Yeah, Jii-chan?"

_"There's fifteen more minutes."_

"Okay. I'm getting into position."

_Clear communication..._

It was Kaito's turn to disappear into the crowd.

.o.

It wasn't the first time Kaito travelled out of Japan, and it wasn't the first time Kid was implicated for a crime he didn't commit. But after putting the two together, it would be the first time for Kaito to travel out of Japan to solve a crime Kid didn't commit.

Given his own growing reputation, his dad's past involvements and his mom's association with weird scandalous matters, Kaito should have expected this to happen one day, or someday, but not this fast again, especially when it wasn't long ago after he dealt with Gozu. At least the problem occurred during his summer holiday, and he still had a little bit of time before the day he promised to bring Aoko to the festivals she'd suggested to go. Well, that is if he could clean up the entire mess in time, steal his promised prize, and get onto his scheduled airplane back—

"What are you doing?" Arthur Hirai, or rather Edogawa Conan, or in actual fact Kudo Shinichi, said over Kaito's shoulder.

Kaito, or rather Kid, or in actual fact Kudo Shinichi, straightened and leapt up from the edge of his hotel bed. He scowled at the detective, who was also scowling back at him with a wet towel over his head.

"Don't creep up on me like that," Kaito muttered and clutched his phone close to his chest.

"You're the one distracted." Conan jumped off the bed too, after having scared Kaito out of his life. He continued wiping his hair with the towel. "I was being loud when I came out of the bathroom."

"Whatever." Kaito waved a hand and slumped back onto his bed, his head sunk deep into the soft, hotel pillow.

Conan stared at Kaito with _the_ look. "What were you doing though?"

On his phone screen, Kaito glimpsed at the blank calendar app in his hand. He had nothing typed or scheduled on it, but his memory was enough to picture all the details in the blank boxes perfectly. The framed murder… the tournament tomorrow…

The festival.

( _"Okay. Let's go."_

_"Wait, wh—what? Are you serious?!"_

_"Geez, you're so loud."_

_"Sorry. I'm— well, I'm happy we get to go for this one together." A smile. "We didn't go last year since you were busy…"_ )

Kaito shrugged. "Just thinking about the case."

Conan hummed, plopping on his own bed with his phone in hand. "I've been wondering," he began, "but does anyone know that _you're_ here? You, as in your real identity."

"...You know there's no way I'm going to answer that, right?"

"I know. But at least I do know now, whoever you are, you're not physically in Japan for the next few days."

Kaito raised his eyebrows. "Is that a threat I'm hearing?"

"I'm glad you consider it so."

"Are you still butt-hurt about earlier?"

"…No."

"It's your fault, you know, for not telling me that you and the Ran gal are dating," Kaito said, giving Conan a pointed look. "That way at least I would've suggested doing something else when she wanted that romantic swim at the pool."

Conan narrowed his eyes. "Is it also my fault you decided to disguise _as_ me?"

Kaito cleared his throat and pretentiously scrolled through his phone, as if there was a lot to see on his blank calendar. "Instead of being petty, why don't we spend our time wisely and discuss our plan for tomorrow?"

Conan let out a long-suffering sigh and pulled the towel off his head. "I can't wait for this to be over."

Kaito snorted.

"Touché, detective. Touché."

.

.

And it was indeed over.

Kaito—Kaitou Kid—glided away, just in time before his wings got caught by the gigantic blast of wind, one that even with Jii's turbocharger invention couldn't save (it seemed whenever the tiny detective was involved, there was no helping that things would end up dramatically in explosions and flames).

Temporary rain and vapour surrounded the roof that was now floating sort-of safely over the sea. Kaito slowly moved in towards the crash, having already checked the prize in hand. Then once he found Leon lying alone on the ground and barely conscious, Kaito attached the jewel with a parachute, for the jokes, and let it float to his enemy's front.

"You can have it back," Kaito said from a distance and above.

Leon looked up, eyes wide as he let out a gasp. The jewel was now just a stretch of his arms away, but it was pointless, as the incoming police definitely wasn't going to let him bring it into this jail cell.

"That"— _The Fist of Blue Sapphire_ , a cultural treasure from the sea—"isn't the jewel I'm looking for." Kaito tipped the brim of his hat down, a smirk etched on his lips.

Blue Sapphire, a gem representing fidelity and romantic devotion.

"I already have a better Sapphire."

Kaito turned, his engine roaring alive again as he flew away.

He couldn't wait to go back home.

.o.

When Kaito said he couldn't wait to go back home, he meant he couldn't wait to enjoy the cooler air of Japan, having the room to himself, and of course the familiarity of the streets and people, because it was obviously much easier for him to breathe around Aoko and even the annoying Hakuba, comparing to the days he'd hung with Mouri Ran and that scary Makoto Kyogoku.

But what Kaito _didn't_ mean when he said couldn't wait to go back home, was to get himself in another heap of mess again (the summer break was really the only break in life he had).

School had started, another heist done.

Only for it to be a really bad one.

_The Sun Halo's Yellow Diamond turns out to be fake!  
Chief Priest arrested while Kaitou Kid escapes!_

With two hands clasped behind his head, Kaito rocked his chair back, eyes trained on the newly filled pages of his scrapbook on his desk. There were more than enough newspapers online for Kaito to choose, but he specifically found a few of his favourites; different photo angles of the Chief Priest being arrested, and the clearest up-close shot of the fake Sun Halo being carried away.

_A fake._

Scooting his chair forward to his desk, Kaito flicked the corner of the scrapbook pages from the back, his accurate and calculative guess helped him stopped perfectly on the page he was looking for; the first and last Yellow Diamond his dad stole, and the day of his meeting with Aoko at the Clock Tower.

Yellow Diamond. Symbolised the beginning of a life happy and in love.

Beginning was right. And now what?

A fake.

Unreal.

The opposite.

(Amazing, how things always come to a full circle in the end.)

It'd been three days since the failed heist, three days since he got stabbed and three days since he last saw Aoko. At least he'd been talking to her through text messages, where he teasingly apologised for missing out the actions while he was busy in the toilet, and missing out school the next day too because his 'diarrhoea' didn't get any better (his wound infection had caused a fever and he couldn't even open his eyes, much less lift himself off bed to pretend everything was fine).

Aoko didn't question him, didn't explain what actually happened or her encounter with Kid and only chided him for the food he ate and the homework he had. Kaito did notice her texts were missing out the usual emojis, but he decided to ignore it for now. Because ignoring was the only thing he could do—

His doorbell rang, and before the first echo died down, the bell rang again.

Kaito frowned, closing his scrapbook and keeping it in the box under his desk. It was too early for any bothersome salesman to come and sell him any woks and pans, and he didn't remember ordering anything online recently…

Climbing down the stairs and to his door, Kaito peered through the peephole.

It was Aoko.

_Holy crap._

Rubbing his eyes so they looked sleepy, Kaito opened the door and stifled a yawn. He almost wanted to rub his stomach under his shirt for the act, until he remembered the bandages as he smoothened his clothes down again.

"What the hell, Aoko?" Kaito sniffed. "It's the weekends and you're so early."

"Didn't you promise that you'll bring me to the zoo?" Aoko sneered, and sneakily produced a helmet she'd hid behind her back the entire time. "See, I even bought a helmet."

_Aoko…_

(Maybe he wasn't the only actor playing in this show right now.)

Ignoring the itch from his scars, Kaito leaned against the door and crossed his arms. "I did promise that. But you should've at least called first, you know."

Aoko shrugged, her hand caressing over the top of her helmet. "Your doorbell works better at waking you up than your ringtone."

"Fine, you got me there." Kaito grinned, stepping back into his house. "I'll go get my keys and jacket."

"And remember to brush your teeth."

Kaito tsked. "You're so rude, Ahouko."

Aoko stuck out a tongue. "Because I don't want to suffer later!"

He left her words hanging—carving them in his head as a reminder for many other things than this—before turning back into his house to grab his things _and_ brush his teeth.

As Kaito found and slipped into black leather jacket in his room, he glimpsed at the scrapbook under his desk.

_Yellow Diamond. Symbolised the beginning of a life happy and in love._

A fake.

Unreal.

The opposite?

No, Kaito decided. He already had Pandora turned his world upside down; he wasn't going to allow another stupid gem to ruin or lead his life. So, it didn't matter if the Sun Halo was fake or real, and it didn't matter if the future gems he was going to steal were a curse or a blessing. Because in the end it was Kaito that would make the choice of his actions, and today, he chose to spend the rest of his day with Aoko, happy and in love.

And that was all that mattered for now.

Grabbing his bike keys, Kaito smiled and skipped down the stairs.

end

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: am i really a kaiao shipper if i didn't write that potential "blue-sapphire" scene from movie 23?
> 
> There's tons of different meanings for some of the jewels on google but I'd picked the relevant ones for this fic, please don't mind if there is, by any chance, inaccuracy of the research hahahah Thank u for reading and reviews are always appreciated :)
> 
> p.s. to some of you who have pm-ed/asked me to finish reluctant hero, I'll do it when I want to, but now is definitely not the moment. thank you for understanding


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